Fill in the blank with the suitable modal from the options given below:
Uncle ______ sent the parcel from the post office yesterday. It was shut all day for Diwali.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → can’t have
Complete sentence: Uncle can’t have sent the parcel from the post office yesterday. It was shut all day for Diwali. The shut post office makes the speaker sure that Uncle did not send the parcel from there.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) can’t have (answer) | can’t have + past participle (V3): we are sure that something did not happen in the past | Mohan can’t have taken the car, as he cannot drive. |
| (2) must have | with V3, a confident guess that something did happen in the past | Ravi’s cycle is not in the shed, so he must have left for school. |
| (3) should have | with V3, the right thing was not done in the past | You should have saved your work before the power cut. |
| (4) needn’t have | with V3, something was done but was not necessary | You needn’t have queued at the bank, as the form was online. |